


No Impact, No Penalty

by petalpusher, williesshatteredskull



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Big Himbo Vibes, Bobby and Carrie are siblings Trevor is their Dad, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, No Smut, Nobody is Dead, rollerskating au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petalpusher/pseuds/petalpusher, https://archiveofourown.org/users/williesshatteredskull/pseuds/williesshatteredskull
Summary: Julie Molina was a tightly wound, artistic roller skater who stuck to the rules and what she knew.She spent most of her time at the local rink in L.A. and during the weekends, would travel down to Venice Beach to skate with her best friend Flynn.Julie was destined for greatness in the world of artistic roller skating, that was until her skate partner, Alex, broke his ankle.Without a new partner Julie faces the terrifying possibility of having to forfeit nationals and the one thing in life she had always wanted.Nothing in Julie’s life could possibly get any worse than it already had, that was until she smacked, quite literally, into Luke Patterson, a carefree inline hockey player with a knack for letting go.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Reggie Peters/Kayla, Reggie/A really good burrito he eats one weekend at venice beach
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first collaboration with another Ao3 writer, We are so excited to bring you this fic created on the fly of a three sentence prompt and the idea of a skate gang. 
> 
> We sincerely hope you like what we’ve written.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie realises her chances a Nationals are at risk when Alex shows up in a cast.

One thing Julie loved the most about her L.A. family home was how close she was to the roller rink. It was her escape, the place she could go to be free and alive. It had been a haunt of hers and Flynn's since they met at beginners sessions at the age of four, and even now at twenty they were there almost every afternoon. It was only a 6 minute bike ride away from Julie's house, less when she was racing Flynn. For years it was their life.

In recent years things had gotten a little more strained. Skating since childhood, the both of them got pretty good. Flynn went into roller derby and was presently the home team's star player. Julie had taken a more delicate interest in artistic skating. At first it was just dancing on wheels; she was almost never caught on the floor without a pair of headphones on. It used to be a treat for her, to go out onto the floor and pretend like the whole world didn't exist. Ever since her mom died, the detachment became a necessity. She threw herself into practice, joining the figure club.

Julie changed artistic partners more frequently than she did clothes, it wasn’t as though she was a bad skater, she was one of the best at the rink, it was more to do with the partners she was given. They were either too rough, too headstrong, wouldn’t listen to her, or would constantly try to make changes to the choreography that wouldn’t work. For a while she tried solo work, but it was like she wasn’t built to work alone. Something was missing.

That was around the time Andi Parker approached her. THE Andi Parker. International champion Andi Parker. She was a coach these days after her retirement from artistic skating, and she was in the market for one young prodigy to join one of her star pupils in couples skating. An opportunity like that was once in a lifetime, and within the week she was introduced to Andi’s protege; Alexander Mercer. When Julie graduated, she deferred college for a year to see if she could hack it, and the rest was history.

Fast forward six months, and they were competition gold. The way she was going, any sports college with a good enough program would be begging to take her once she won nationals. Everything was looking up. That was, until Alex came to practice one day on crutches.

Julie almost choked on the water she was drinking when he hobbled over to her, looking worse for wear. “What the hell happened?” She questioned, standing to get a better look at her partner. “Willie was teaching me how to skateboard, turns out I’m uh- better on skates than I am on an actual board.” His face is full of regret and a whole lot of unsaid apologies that were all trying to escape at once.  “Alex, you know I am in full support of your relationship with Willie, but I am going to strangle him with his helmet strap when I see him next.” She tried to calm the thundering of her heart, not wanting to make him feel worse by showing how much she was losing her shit right now. 

What was she going to do? Nationals were only four months away, not to mention regionals. The only partner she had, who was practically an extension of her own body, was standing in front of her broken and busted. Nobody else worth their salt would be free to help her now. “Julie, I really am sorry.” She takes a deep breath in, rubs the back of her neck and sits down. “Alex, it’s okay. Accidents happen, but there isn’t anything we can do about it now.” She wanted to try and at least alleviate his guilt, it wasn’t a secret that Alex was often vibrating with anxieties about certain things. “Look, tomorrow Flynn and I are going down to Venice for the weekend. Maybe you and Willie could come, take your mind off things.” He opened his mouth, but the words didn't escape. Instead his face fell into a resigned smile, and he nodded. “Okay. Sounds like a plan.” 

*****

Julie loved the sun. The warmth reminded her of the times her Mom would tuck her into bed during winter nights, feeling like nothing in the world could get to her. It was a double edged sword, because every good memory also picked at the scab of her mother’s loss, but it was getting easier for Julie to push those feelings away and try to cherish the memories instead of dreading them. Some days were harder than others.

Julie was snapped back to reality by a loud thud as Flynn closed the trunk of her car, fondly nicknamed ‘ _ Cherry Bomb’ _ . It was easy for Julie to see why; Flynn had worked till her fingers bled to buy the car from her Dad. It was a red 1970’s Ford Galaxie. It had its issues, sometimes it would break down, but nothing would be able to curb the love Flynn had for that car. 

They were staying at  _ The Kinney  _ on Venice Beach, a small hotel close to the Boardwalk. The girls would often visit for the sake of skating along the smooth trail that led along the beach, the cool breeze in their faces while the Summer sun baked their skin and bleached their hair. Julie had brought along what she referred to as her ‘throwaway skates’. There was no way she would take her competition pair out on the sidewalk, so she had a spare pair of outdoor skates -- an old pair she put all-surface wheels and cheap bearings on. This way, Julie wasn’t fazed about the bearings getting sandy or the boots scuffing.

They checked in and dropped their overnight bags by their beds. They had booked a small apartment with three seperate rooms for the weekend, one for each couple plus one for Julie.

“When will Alex and Willie get here?” Flynn was changing in the bathroom close to Julie’s room, getting ready to head out.  
“Sometime this afternoon, Alex doesn’t want to try and drive with his ankle, so they’re catching the bus.” Julie was pulling on her socks and tennis shoes, the upper soles covered in sharpie doodles.  
“Julie! You should have told me, Carrie is driving down from the Hills after work.”  Julie flopped back onto the bed, stretching out across the soft mattress, her feet still flat against the floor. “I didn’t even know Carrie was coming until we were halfway here! I should have guessed. You both have been attached at the hip recently.”   
Flynn waltzed out of the bathroom and snorted, “Recently?”   
Julie laughed, “Okay, for the last eight months.” 

Part of Julie hoped that skating this weekend by the beach would help her relax and let go of the anger she felt with the Universe for taking the  _ one  _ good partner she had ever skated with. 

She let out a sigh and pushed herself up. If she couldn’t find someone to skate with before the month was up, she would have to talk to Andi about forfeiting nationals. 

*****

Julie was trying to enjoy the breeze and forget her troubles, and to its credit, Venice Beach was doing a great job of that. Alex was sitting on the seat of Willie’s bike, chest pressed against his boyfriend's back as they rode at an easy pace to keep up with Carrie and Flynn, making their way down the boardwalk. 

Something they all enjoyed about Venice was that it always stayed exactly how it was when they first came down to visit during their childhoods and early teens. Maybe not the buildings and shops exactly, but the vibe of the place was irreplaceable. As they skated, they talked about what was going to happen with Nationals and Julie’s lack of a partner. 

“Is there anyone that can match Alex, though?” Flynn and Carrie were leading the pack, with Julie following behind with the two boys directly behind her.   
“Not really.” Julie resigns. “The only one I can think of who would come even a smidgen close to Alex, would be Brent Whitaker.”   
“Well what’s wrong with him?” Alex tightened his grip around Willie’s waist as they cycled slowly, to lean around and quiz Julie. “He’s great.”  
“He never washes his socks or his leotards and I really don’t feel like getting up close and personal with the Lord of Stench.” Julie tried to convey her disgust in her tone, but he could hear the smile in her voice.  
“You could always buy him a nice cologne,” Carrie grinned behind her giant pink heart shaped glasses, flicking her skate out to spin and skate backwards with ease.

“Helpful, but no.” Flynn replied in place of Julie who rolled her eyes. “The boy has cologne. He’s choosing not to use it. It’s a choice.”  
“Besides,” Alex pointed out, since nobody else was going to. “Brent went solo, he’s got his own stuff to prepare for.”  
“Hard to find someone who has the time,” Flynn reflected solemnly.   
“On the bright side, at least this week couldn’t possibly get any worse,” Julie groaned, as she passed the intersection of a path that led towards the market stalls set up on weekends.

Maybe the Universe really had it out for her. Maybe it was saying ‘ _ Fuck everyone, but especially fuck you, Julie Molina.’  _ Or maybe it was just pure, shitty luck that had Julie flying off the path and hitting the sand, tangled in the limbs of a stranger who was coughing and spluttering all over her. She opened her eyes and saw messy hair swept across a tanned forehead, convulsing with its owner as he tried to expel all the sand from his mouth. When she groaned, he looked up like he only just remembered she was there. His eyes were dark and watering, his brow knit with concern. Julie could have almost mistaken him for cute… that was, until he opened his mouth. 

“What the hell, are you blind or something?” He pushed himself up on one arm with alarming ease, scooting away from her to let her sit up, but ended up kicking more sand onto her as his skates scrambled awkwardly in the sand. Willie left Alex to balance the bike as he rushed to help Julie back onto the concrete. She’d have no chance on the sand in her skates.   
“Am  _ I _ blind? You ran into me!” She dusted herself off vigorously, shaking the sand out of her wheels.   
“What kinda moron just skates past that slope without looking?” As his admittedly cute features were marred with an ugly scowl, he crossed his arms across his chest and Julie pretended not to notice how toned they were.  
“Probably the kind of person who didn’t expect an absolute idiot to be hurtling full speed into oncoming foot traffic!” Never had she met someone who infuriated her as much or as quickly as this boy had. She couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy.

Another boy flew down the path and hit the sand in the same fashion as the first did, narrowly missing the opportunity to crush Julie for the second time that day. He lifted himself up in a spray of sand and a laugh that calmed Julie’s anger… very very slightly.  
This boy was pale in comparison to his friend, with black hair and a tattered flannel tied around his waist. He threw a grin towards his friend, wiggling his eyebrows. “You were right, that does make you feel like a bird!”  
Julie threw her arms in the air, “Good to know it’s raining dumb boys!”   
The first boy had the nerve to look offended. “Hey, listen lady-”  
She cut him off, “My name is Julie.”   
“Well,  _ Julie _ , you’re being rude.”   
Her mouth hung open. How could one person have such an infuriating lack of self awareness?! She was screaming internally out of pure frustration at the exchange. So wrapped was she in her own fury, she nearly missed it when Alex called out from the path.  
“Wait, Luke, is that you?” They all turned to look at Alex, who was clinging to the bike with his moon boot awkwardly poking at an angle.   
“Alex?” Luke questioned, his face immediately losing all hostility as he smiled at his friend.   
“Wow, Alex, what’re you doing out here?!” The other grinned. “I thought you obliterated your ankle?”  
“Yeah, Willie—“ he began, but Julie cut him off.  
“You know this asshole?” She jabbed an accusatory finger in Luke’s direction.  
“ _ Asshole _ ?!”  
“Yeah, me and the asshole grew up together,” Alex chuckled, as if this happened all the time.   
Julie stuck her thumb out at Luke. “You shared a childhood with  _ him _ ?”   
Luke looked offended, recoiling away from her. “Did you smack your head and forget your manners?”   
“Hmm, yeah, maybe it was when you knocked me over! Remember that?”Julie shook her head and turned to her friends. “Can we please head back? I don’t feel so good.” Willie helped her to her feet to shuffle over to the path again.  
“Uh, sure,” Alex agreed, sharing a look with Flynn and Carrie. “Nice seeing you guys again. I’ll catch you next week, yeah?”   
Luke sounded apprehensive when he said “Yeah, see you there.” He helped Willie turn the bike around and they began skating back in the other direction.  
“Bye! Nice meeting you!” Reggie called after them. 

Julie tried to calm herself down. She had never met someone so unapologetically obtuse in her life, but it was just the cherry on top of a terrible few days. At least there was some silver lining in it all; she would never have to see Luke ever again after today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this as much we we enjoyed writing it, please let us know!
> 
> I would also recommend checking out petalpushers work! They currently have a really cool fic in the works on their main account!  
> So go give some love there if you haven’t already! 
> 
> Much love! X


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie turns up for practice and meets the new residents of the skate rink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so happy with the response so far and the amount of people who have read this!   
> We hope you enjoy it too!

Morning sessions were Julie's safezone when it came to the rink, and lately she had been looking forward to them more than ever. The patrons that crowded the afternoons were absent, and Julie was granted two hours of uninterrupted practice most days, barely seeing a soul except for Flynn. They usually carpooled so she could teach her morning beginners' lesson. 

‘Is Andi going to be in today?” Flynn takes a sip of her Big Gulp _ ,  _ turning into the parking lot of  _ Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace  _ and parking under one of the rink's big windows so she would always have a perfect view of Cherry Bomb.   
“No, she’s away until Wednesday.” Julie was dreading the day Andi came home to find her champion team one ankle short of a trophy.   
“It’ll be fine, right? Everyone knows nothing slows Julie Molina down, Andi best of all. Well, present company excluded.” Julie knew Flynn was doing her best to make her feel better, but this was one of those rare instances where it didn’t help much. 

She leaned against the window of the car for a moment, letting the sunlight hit her shoulders and ease the tension just a bit. Her gaze drifted into focus on the rest of the parking lot, and it took her a second to notice why it all looked so out of place. “Are there more cars out here than usual?” The parking lot was usually deserted when they arrived, but today there were at least ten cars parked up.  
“I guess it's the gym downstairs," Flynn dismissed, heaving herself out of the driver's seat. Julie followed suit, absently collecting her bag from the trunk as she puzzled over the crowd. "They could have an extra early lesson on or something? Come on, the kids are gonna be here soon.” She adjusted the strap on her skate bag, closed the trunk, and headed towards the front of  _ Flipper’s.  _

Inside the rink it was always a cool 78F; not freezing, but just cold enough to keep you from overheating while you skated.   
The girls made their way up the stairs and through the second entrance, saying hello to the girls at the ticket desk. Julie with her pre-bookings never needed to stop, and Flynn was an instructor the staff knew well. 

“Maybe I should try solo skating after all,” Julie contemplated aloud, although her heart wasn't in it. When she skated alone, it was to relax. Her best game was when she had someone to ricochet off. 

Julie was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even realise there was a crowd of people loudly rounding the next corner onto the main rink until it was too late. She collided with a body and stumbled back a few steps, toppled by the weight of her skate bag, but regained her balance before she fell on her butt for the second time in a week. Her head whipped up, an apology on her lips, and yet she froze. Instead of an apology, she blurted “You've got to be kidding me!”   
“We really have to stop meeting like this,” Luke grinned, flashing a glinting smile like he owned the world and everything in it.   
“What… I…” She tried searching for words but they weren’t coming out. A mixture of confusion and irritation was bubbling in her throat, and it felt suspiciously similar to indigestion.  
“Hi Julie!” A second boy waved at her, a large gym bag slung over one shoulder. "I'm Reggie, we didn't officially meet the last time… uh… you know…" he trailed off, glancing at Luke.  
Julie hadn't even noticed him standing next to Luke at first. The rest of their group were all filtering around them as they talked, all wearing matching uniforms: loose white jerseys with bright green accents and simple lettering. Roller hockey uniforms, Julie realised. But their rink didn't have a team. A seed of worry was beginning to sprout in Julie's gut.  
“What are you guys doing here?” Flynn asked for Julie, since she clearly couldn't find the words.  
“We used to skate down by Venice, but our rink got shut down.” Luke explained.   
“It was full of Asbestos.” Reggie added helpfully, and waggled his eyebrows at the girls.   
“That’s…” Julie shook her head slightly at Reggie before she turned her attention back to Luke. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here. Wearing that.”   
“Reg and I are the star players of Sunset Curve,” Luke announced proudly, and he reminded her of a bird fluffing up its feathers. "That's our team. Maybe you've heard of us?"

Julie had to hide her surprise, because she  _ had _ heard of their team before. They were an up and coming L.A. team; a majority of the boys had probably already been offered scholarships at prestigious sports colleges, the way they were going. And apparently, Julie's home turf had just become theirs.

“I guess we're going to see each other way more often,” Luke laughed, and she knew he was riling her up.  
Julie tried her best to look dismissive, lifting her chin. She wasn't going to reward his attention seeking behaviour. “I don't care where you skate, just don’t interrupt my morning practice.”   
“Yeah, about that.”   
“About that?”   
He stepped aside so she would be allowed a better look at the skate floor. Hockey players were dominating every available space on the bleachers, and others were still out on the floor with their sticks, not really doing much other than screwing around. “Seriously? I booked this rink, they better not be out there when my session starts,” she warned.  
“I'm sure they'll clear out. Eventually.” Luke shrugged.   
Julie clenched her jaw, barging past him. 

_ Fantastic.  _

*****

Alex sat next to Julie on the bleachers as she furiously tightened her laces.  
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he propped up his crutches next to him. He had come here with Reggie and Luke despite the fact he was incapacitated.  
“Annoyed. Confused. Mostly Angry.” Julie admitted. "My happy place is being taken over."  
“They aren’t taking over, they’re just merging in with the rest of us.” He was being reasonable, but that only fuelled her annoyance.  
Julie leant forward, flexing her foot to test her lacing before tapping her heel sharply to position her foot. “Did you know?”   
“Yeah, I just didn’t realise that it would be such an impact on…..” He trailed off, but she knew where he was going with it. "They're not that bad. Really. They're my best friends, you should give them a chance."  
Julie stared at Alex’s ankle, covered with the big moon boot, and opted to dodge the subject entirely. “How long are you out of commission?”   
“Doc says maybe five to six months.” He shrugged. “Even then…” He left the rest of what he was going to say to hang in the air, not wanting to put any more strain on Julie’s shoulders.   
“Alex, it's fine.” She gave him a warm smile. “Andi will understand.”   
They both sighed in unison. If there was one thing that was true it was that Andi Parker did  _ understand  _ but she would be sure to kick up some dust before she said the words _ “It’s gonna be fine. I’ll figure it out.”  _ She had a lot on her plate, and she always pulled through, but that made Julie all the more sorry to see Andi disappointed.

A shout drew their attention. Like a pack of wild animals, half the Hockey team was roughhousing in the Junior rink where Flynn would be teaching her lesson in less than half an hour. She spotted Reggie rise up far above the crowd, on Luke's shoulders as they teetered awkwardly. Reggie was using his hockey stick to mime paddling a boat. Their coach jogged over to tell them off, and Reggie almost fell in their rush to act like they hadn't been doing anything wrong in the first place.  
  
Alex was chuckling to himself, and for the first time Julie considered that he'd get along well at hockey if he wasn't an artistic skater.   
"Aren't they worried about hurting themselves after what happened to you?" Julie asked, frowning at the display.   
"They live in the moment. Makes it easier to throw yourself around in hockey, I guess," Alex shrugged.  
"But not you?"   
"I have this thing where I think about things before I do them," he smirked. "I think it's called a survival instinct?"  
Despite everything, Julie smiled at the joke. "Except for when cute boys on skateboards are involved, right?"  
Alex shied, but she could tell he was smiling under the bashfulness. "We all have our kryptonite, Julie." She bit her tongue on her scepticism.   
  
"So how did you meet Luke and Reggie? You seem pretty chummy but I've never heard you talk about them before." To be fair, Alex wasn't the biggest oversharer to begin with. That's probably why she found it so easy to work with him after her mom; he didn't make her feel like she needed to spill her life story. Though at times like this, she wondered if they should have shared just a tad more about themselves.

Alex scratched just above his moon boot and told Julie about his childhood with Luke and Reggie. “We met at the skatepark near our houses when we were eight, we all got roller skates for Christmas. I started doing artistic skating at our old rink, and I'd teach the boys tricks on weekends,” He had a nostalgic look in his eye as he recounted. “Nearly talked Luke into joining at one point. He is way more nimble than he looks."  
“Why did he make the change to Hockey then?”    
Alex chuckled. “Reggie told him girls come to watch the hockey games.” 

Julie finished lacing her boots and tested the fit. Her old outdoor quads for Venice Beach were nothing compared to her artistic skates: a crisp white pair of Edea boots on custom trucks, premium wheels, and top of the range bearings. They were probably worth more than she was, and she took incredible care of them. She meticulously kept each skate in its own protective pouch inside her skate bag, and she would never take them outdoors in a million years.

Satisfied with the fit, Julie folded her socks down over the tops of her boots. “Break a leg,” Alex quipped, and she threw him an unimpressed look. As the last of the hockey goons meandered off the floor, she made a signal to her regular floorguard. He was an older gentleman, there to provide first aid if the need arose, but most days he just acted as her DJ when she needed to perform the kind of tricks that headphones didn’t allow for.    
  
When Julie skated, she slipped into her own zone, unaware of the world around her. It was deep concentration. She started with warmups and slalom work, swerving on the polished floor. Then she practiced a few spirals and hops, getting a feel for her skates before she moved into the really technical stuff. One of her favourite moves to do for fun was the inverse camel, a spin that required her to lean backwards and balance precariously as she spun. The spins were a workout of their own, and she was glad for the cranked air conditioning as she practiced. Although Alex was out of the game, she made it a point to practice the parts of their routine that she could on her own. Just in case some higher power took pity and offered up a miracle that let him skate again. 

The slow, sweeping melody of the music helped to lull her into a zone. As the piece built to a dramatic crescendo she tried her riskiest combination from their routine; a loop jump sequence of two. She propelled herself backwards and launched with her toe stop, spinning once to land on her starting foot, then almost immediately repeated the jump. She kept her balance and landed the second, grinning to herself, and she heard Alex whoop from the bleachers. Julie slid to a stop on both toe stops, throwing a victorious grin in his direction. Alex was clapping, and to her dismay, she saw Luke leaning against the railing next to him, trying to act like he hadn’t been watching.

Feeling like she needed to assert whose turf this was, she kicked off and threw in a spin that wasn’t in the pairs routine, lifting her left leg behind her and reaching back with her left hand to take a hold of her skate, stretching her leg up behind her as she spun to perform a one-handed biellmann spin. She went as long as her speed allowed her before letting it drop and gliding away, finishing off with a simple spiral. No need to overdo it. 

She couldn’t see Alex very well from so far away, but she got the distinct feeling that he was rolling his eyes at her. She didn’t care; she wasn’t about to let a team of unwashed hockey nuts disrupt her life any more than it already had been, and she intended to make that clear from day one. However, she felt a jolt of emotion that might have been bashfulness when she saw Luke looking almost impressed, instead of the intimidation that she had been aiming for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave your thoughts! 
> 
> And also, please go and check out Petal’s current WIP, I am hooked so far!


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